Monolith Behind the scenes interview

Continuing our behind-the-scenes interviews, this time we are discussing Monolith. This movie had some interesting challenges due to its low budget. We had to work within these restraints while aiming to produce something that looks far better than the budget would normally allow. Read on to learn some of the tricks we used.

Dan: Let's talk about what the overall visual style you were aiming for with Monolith.   

Michael: Monolith is a low-budget sci-fi thriller. Visually, we wanted something that was sophisticated and looked more high-end, more expensive than the budget of the actual film allowed. We looked at references like Arrival, Enemy, and films that have big glass windows, single characters, backlight, keeping it soft and muted. That was a discussion I had with the director, Matt Vesley, and we made a mood board and some references and basically went from there. 

Dan: What were some of the biggest challenges for Monolith? 

Michael: The biggest challenges for Monolith was its very low-budget and tight timeframe. We had to shoot that film in three weeks in one location primarily. The challenge came from creating visual interest and not being too similar with all the setups and the shots and keeping the narrative progressing, making sure that it didn't feel like we were shooting all the scenes in the same spot. We identified this early on and chose to have a progression where the character (Lily Sullivan) moves throughout the house and that was our attempt to keep the visuals interesting as the story unfolds. 

Dan: Were there any particular tools that were invaluable during this project? 

Michael: This film wouldn't have been made without the South Australian Film Corporation. It was a film lab initiative and they were an invaluable part of creating and bringing this project to life. 

Finding the location was key - a beautiful house in the South Australian hills - and being able to set up there and the willingness for the homeowner to have a film crew in their lovely home. It wouldn't have been able to be made, I think, anywhere else outside of South Australia. It was just perfect how that all came together. 

 Dan: What was the most difficult shot on Monolith? How did you accomplish it? 

Michael: The most difficult shot for Monolith was towards the end of the film, we had this one where the character basically transforms and there's two of her and we wanted to walk throughout the house, see her at one point, walk backwards, then reveal that there's a second version of her and obviously the same actor plays both characters. It was quite a technical shot where we moved through the house with her and then had a double and did a bit of a Texas switch where we look down at something while the double steps in and we come over the double’s shoulder and reveal the actor in the new spot.

I think when you see it in the film you don't actually realise the challenges that went into that but it's quite interesting and it hits the audience quite well at that moment in the film.  

Dan: What's a Texas switch, Michael? 

Michael: A Texas switch is a classic filmmaking technique from the old Hollywood Western days. The stunt actor would jump off of a roof, land behind a hay bale and then you'd have your lead actor stand up from behind the hay bale. That's a Texas switch where you're hiding your stunt and making it look like the actor has done the whole move from start to end.

So this was a similar technique where the actor starts, then a double comes in for the gag and then we reveal the actor again at the end. 

Dan: What is your favourite behind the scenes moment from Monolith? 

 Michael: There's a scene at the end of the film where we were in a paddock by a lake and I wanted this shot where the camera was half in the water, half out, so we built this underwater housing and I had to get in my waders with the key grip and we walked out into the water and got this shot from across the lake of the lead character fighting herself. That was fun. There's a photo that pops up in my memories of me standing in the freezing cold lake in the middle of the winter and that's one that I will always remember.

 End

I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into making Monolith. It was a challenging project to work on, yet those challenges made it more fun. The thought and intention that goes into making a low budget film appear to be much higher budget is a challenge that can bring out the best in the cast and crew. I think we all met that challenge well!